Emma Raducanu, the 22-year-old British tennis sensation, is entering the 2025 grass-court season with cautious optimism, tempered by a lingering injury concern. As she prepares to compete in the inaugural HSBC Championships at Queen’s Club, a WTA 500 event marking its return to the women’s calendar after a 52-year hiatus, Raducanu revealed a troubling back spasm that disrupted her preparations. The injury, which first flared up during her second-round loss to Danielle Collins in Strasbourg before the French Open, continues to nag, casting a shadow over her ambitions. Yet, in a boost to her campaign, Raducanu announced the reunion with her former coaches, Nick Cavaday and Mark Petchey, whose combined experience offers hope for stability after a career marked by coaching turnover and physical setbacks.
Raducanu’s journey since her 2021 US Open triumph has been a rollercoaster of highs and lows. Her clay season showed promise, with a quarterfinal in Miami and a fourth-round finish at the Italian Open, but a 6-2, 6-3 loss to Iga Swiatek at Roland Garros highlighted the gap to the elite. The back spasm in Strasbourg, where she lost 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 to Collins, was a setback. “I have had a small interruption with a back spasm again so that was a bit annoying,” Raducanu admitted, describing how the injury hindered her grass preparations. “The last few days I have managed to get on the grass and just begin to feel my feet.” Her candor reflects the frustration of a player whose career has been plagued by injuries, including wrist and ankle surgeries in 2023 and a foot ligament strain in 2024.
The Queen’s Club event, running from June 9 to 15, 2025, is a pivotal moment for Raducanu to regain momentum on her favorite surface. Grass suits her aggressive, fluid game, as evidenced by her 2021 Wimbledon fourth-round run as a wildcard. However, her expectations are tempered. “I have pretty low expectations just because I haven’t really been able to do much grass prep,” she said, acknowledging the physical and mental toll of her latest setback. Despite this, her reunion with Cavaday and Petchey signals a strategic move to find consistency. “I’m happy to see him healthy, first of all,” she said of Cavaday, who stepped away after the Australian Open in January 2025 due to health issues. “It’s been such a long time since we were last on court together in Australia, and Mark is in Paris commentating, so Nick was around and it was nice to just have a few days with him.”
Cavaday, a respected figure who led the LTA’s National Academy, coached Raducanu during her junior years and briefly in 2024. Petchey, a former top-100 player and Andy Murray’s ex-coach, rejoined her team in Miami after a chance encounter. “Mark was already there, commentating, and it happened that I bumped into him in one of the corridors in Miami,” Raducanu recalled, describing their “informal” partnership. Their complementary expertise—Cavaday’s technical focus and Petchey’s tactical insight—offers a lifeline. “I think having Mark and Nick, both people who have banks of experience and I think they can complement each other really well and I trust both of them a lot,” she said, emphasizing the trust critical to her progress.
Raducanu’s injury history, from wrist surgeries to a recent foot strain that forced her to miss five tournaments in 2024, has drawn scrutiny. Former coach Mark Petchey urged her to push through minor ailments, saying, “I hope for Emma’s sake that she can play the next six months without missing a tournament, whether she’s hurt or not.” Her new fitness trainer, Yutaka Nakamura, who worked with Naomi Osaka and Maria Sharapova, is helping her build resilience. “I think building a body, that’s a continuous process,” Raducanu noted, optimistic about her long-term health.
The Queen’s Club draw is daunting, with potential clashes against Madison Keys, Elena Rybakina, or Barbora Krejcikova. Yet, a strong showing could see Raducanu overtake Katie Boulter as British No. 1. “I’m still figuring out what works for me,” she said, reflecting on her evolving approach. With Cavaday and Petchey by her side, and a home crowd cheering, Raducanu’s grass season is a chance to reclaim her spark and silence doubters, one resilient step at a time
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